A dark and gothic feel thriller that was atmospheric and chilling and kept me hooked right from the very start.

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
As I have come to expect from this excellent series it is beautifully written and researched, with a clever mix of fictional and real characters. Atmospheric clever descriptive and totally engaging from first to last page, with a real feel for time and place. Speaking of which this is the third book in this series, and I assume judging by the cliffhanger ending a new book is to follow, hopefully very soon.
Completely recommended.

A great historical thriller set in the reign of James 1. This is the 3rd in a series but i did read it as a standalone.

The enigmatic Daniel is being pursued by Cecil's secret agents and ends up back in his home town in Yorkshire, but there is no safety there either.

We follow him through a world which is morally ambiguous- an underworld of criminals, brothels, black marketeers and other nefarious characters. How can he decide who to trust?
The adventure is told with much detail- some gruesome and violent which reflects the period well. Every detail is well researched and convincing. Maitland uses these details to build a convincing backdrop to a plot to kill James 1.. However she doesn't use detail extraneously.

It has an almost breathless pace as each action is described vividly eg flight scenes. This would adapt well as a mini series as it's very visual.

Sometimes I felt like I lost a narrative thread, but soon picked that up again.

Fast paced, exciting and historically convincing.

Mysteries in the Daniel Pursglove series are gripping and well plotted. They makes you travel in time and space to a realistic and vivid Jacobean London.
This is another solid mystery and it's also a good way to learn about that time and the characters.
Daniel is as well plotted as usual and I loved the storytelling. The solid mystery kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Rivers of Treason is the third story in K J Maitland’s historical series. The story follows our reluctant spy, Daniel Pursglove as the navigates the brewing tensions between Catholics and Protestants during the reign of James I set after the Gunpowder Plot.

I would highly recommend reading the first two stories before attempting this one. Much of story is centered around the outcomes of what happened after the Plot, especially with the social impact caused by The Great Flood and The Great Frost in the previous volumes. Characters return from the first story and without knowing much about the first book this would lessen the impact of the overall storyline.

K J Maitland has a beautiful way of conjuring the past through descriptions of the world. It is immersive and pretty gruesome at times. This adds to the building tension and threat which feels very real, leaving me completely absorbed in the story.

The story itself continues to be engaging. It also pleasing to learn more about Daniel this time around, especially how he has ended up in the position he is in. However, I did have one minor quibble in which, this time I found the plot meandered a little and some of the subplots threatened to overwhelm the central story.
I am looking forward to reading book 4 in the future!

Returning from Battle Abbey , Daniel Pursglove has been told to stay in London. However his interest in his childhood foe Fairfax has brought him to East Yorkshire. Gaining more questions than answers and escaping a murder accusation, Pursglove travels to Bristol to find the Yena. Again his enemies are ahead of him and he barely escapes with his life. Now convinced there is another plot to kill King James, Daniel does not know who to trust.
This is the third outing for Daniel Pursglove, Maitland's Jacobean anti-hero. As ever the themes of sorcery and evil are written throughout and the weather and darkness are omnipresent. The plot is confusingly twisty but very well constructed and the ending sets up the next in the series. I love the setting and the plotting.

Rivers of Treason is the third book in the author’s series set in England during the reign of James I and featuring reluctant spy, Daniel Pursglove. It’s the follow-up to The Drowned City and Traitor in the Ice both of which I’ve read and reviewed. Rivers of Treason is very much a continuation of the story that commenced in The Drowned City so, although there are a few brief recaps of events in earlier books, I would recommend reading the series from the beginning.

Daniel is still involved in the hunt for Spero Pettingar, the only conspirator involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot who evaded capture, and the gruesome interrogations and executions that followed. I confess that until I read the historical notes at the end of the first book I hadn’t realised Spero Pettingar was a real historical figure. In fact, I was convinced his name was an anagram!

The author continues to introduce tantalising details about Daniel’s troubled past. The identity of his father, even his own real name, remain just as much a mystery to him as it does to the reader, although he is beginning to uncover small clues about his childhood. But some of these provoke more questions than answers. Daniel can look after himself and that’s just as well because he has made himself some formidable enemies. There’s one in particular whose hatred for Daniel is very personal. Unfortunately, people who get involved with Daniel, or try to help him, have a habit of ending up dead, often in particularly unpleasant ways. And if Daniel is often perplexed by the motivations behind certain characters’ actions than he’s in good company because the fiendishly intricate plot definitely demands concentration on the part of the reader.

No historical novel set in the period is complete without an appearance by one of the Cecil family; in this case it’s Robert Cecil. I actually felt some sympathy for him having to deal with the petulant, impulsive King James who seems more interested in adding wild beasts to his menagerie than matters of state. Having said that, with the Gunpowder Plot still within recent memory, the King can be forgiven for taking steps to thwart any future attempt. This gives rise to a neat little side plot. I really enjoyed the insight into the Stuart court: the lavish feasts, preening courtiers and extravagant masques. I can recommend reading the fascinating ‘Behind the Scenes of this Novel’ and Glossary (which goes beyond brief definitions) in which you can find out about such things as purveyance, huffcap, Jenny Hanivers and what it means to be ‘bumpsy’.

Weather has played a key part in the previous two books: the Great Flood of 1606 in The Drowned City and the Great Frost of 1607 in Traitor in the Ice. In Rivers of Treason it’s the impact of both of these on livelihoods that is the focus. ‘Food is scarce: half the farmland in the west was ruined by salt in the flood, thousands of cattle and sheep drowned or frozen, winter wheat wiped out by frost, and the land now too sodden to be worked for weeks.’ It’s no wonder there is a pervading atmosphere of unrest.

As always, the author conjures up the sights, sounds and smells of London – the latter being invariably unpleasant. ‘A thick blanket of fog oozed up over the city as dusk crept in. It rose like marsh gas from the open sewers and reeeking cellars, and from the slug-grey river itself.’

Rivers of Treason is an absorbing, intricate historical thriller whose startling conclusion will leave you eager to find out what happens next. Personally, I hope this features more of the mysterious Cimex. (If you would like to be whisked away to an earlier time period, the author also writes medieval novels under the name of Karen Maitland.)

Rivers of Treason is the third book in KJ Maitland's brilliant historical Daniel Pursglove series and I highly recommend that you read the first two books in the series before jumping into this one as the action starts happening straight away and it's sometimes complex to follow even if you do know all the characters!

Lots of tension and danger in this one as Daniel tries to evade his pursuers, learns more about himself and gets embroiled in espionage and murder. The time of James I is brilliantly evoked with tensions between Catholics and Protestants, English and Scots. Daniel has to walk a tightrope between the warring factions, saving his own neck while trying not to imperil his innocent friends.

Excellent fun and I can't wait for book four!

‘Rivers of Treason‘ is the third book in the Daniel Pursglove series, and yes, before you ask, you should definitely read the previous two.Some of the background is explained but it isn’t nearly enough to get a good handle on the continuing storyline, the character that is Daniel or his actions.

Daniel is supposed to stay in London. But Daniel often doesn’t do as he’s told so he rides off to Yorkshire and the village where he was born. Daniel has a score to settle. Well, more than one, to be fair. But there are things he needs to learn first, pieces of a puzzle he needs to put together. Daniel thinks his childhood home is where he will find the answers to his questions, but he will need to be careful so as not to be discovered.

When a body is found, fingers immediately point to the stranger in the midst of the village, and Daniel has no choice but to flee. However, it seems the killer is following him across the country, leaving bodies in his wake. Is the murderer trying to send a message, just having fun, on a personal vendetta? Or is Daniel in deeper trouble than he realises?

I thought ‘Rivers of Treason‘ got off to somewhat of a slow start. Daniel seemed to do a lot of traveling back and forth, but other than it didn’t really feel like much was happening. There was no way I was going to give up though, because I have really been enjoying this series. And once things started to pick up somewhat, I once again became entirely immersed and keen to find out more about Daniel’s past. Although the reader gets to know him a little better, there still seems to be much left to discover. Bit of a mystery still, this here Daniel.

That said, good grief, is this series complex or what?! I admit I’m not at all familiar with this era in English history, apart from knowing a wee bit about the Gunpowder plot. I often struggle to keep the names of characters, real or fictional, clear in my head. I have a hard time figuring out what their positions are, especially with respect to the King. It seems evil plotters and conspiracies are everywhere, and for many it is apparently nothing more but a fun game of politics and power.

I can’t imagine the research that must go into these novels. The fabulous descriptions almost make you feel like your foot is stuck in mud, or gag at the food that’s served. Maitland’s writing really brings this part of history to life, creating an atmosphere that is wonderfully immersive. Gruesome murders aside, and there’s one I’m particularly upset about, there are also a few wonderful subplots. One, involving an apothecary, definitely caught my attention. Others just managed to confuse me. For now. I’m assuming it’ll all become clear at some point. Somehow, it feels as if the story takes two steps forward and then one back again. If at any point I was waiting for some clarity, it didn’t really appear. I didn’t mind though. I enjoyed this third instalment once it got going, and I think readers of historical fiction fans will do so as well.

I sure hope the author knows where Daniel’s story is going though, because I sure as heck don’t, but I’m eager to find out.

"The state of MONARCHIE is the supremist thing upon earth" (said King James I in a speech to Parliament in 1609) - topical as we head towards the coronation of Charles III but here we are back in 1607 and in Maitland's 3rd outing for Daniel Pursglove we find him heading from Newgate Gaol to his home turf Yorkshire in search of past Masters, traitors and soon enough a copycat killer when a young girl is found dead by the river.
Speckled with intrigue and a good mix of real and fictional characters, the ground is well laid (if both hardened by deep frost (Thames Frost Fairs) or swelled with mud.
We are reminded of the clash between Catholics and Protestants and the escaped gunpowder plotter Spero Pettingar and Daniel chasing personal revenge from previous plots himself.
Maitland creates the landscape masterfully and throws us signs of the times from the food to the clothing that add to the whole picture of Jacobean England.
Daniel is 'literally' a marked man and the plot builds with drama and fear right through to the end. Crosses, curses and conspiracy are on every page and a fascinating read they make.

This is the third in the Jacobean series set in the years immediately after the Gunpowder Plot featuring Daniel Pursglove and his search for the missing conspirator Spero Pettingar.

The weather has played a major role in both the previous two books with a flood and the great freeze and this time it is the thaw following the great freeze that is impacting on people’s lives. K J Maitland is second to none at historical detail and descriptive writing and we feel every step as Daniel plows his way through the mud in Yorkshire. The settings in this book range from the slums of London, to a large house in Yorkshire and then to the court and the author describes each one for us brilliantly which really brings the story to life.

Despite the wonderful writing, I was left feeling a bit dissatisfied by this third novel. Daniel does a lot of travelling around and there are several deaths along the way but at the end, we aren’t any further forward. If anything, his situation has become even less clear than before. I also felt that the book was quite long with various side plots that almost obscured the main story line.

I would recommend this to lovers of Historical Fiction involving plotting and political intrigues. This is however, very much the third book of a series and relies heavily on the reader having read the previous two. I think it would be difficult to read this as a standalone.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers, Headline for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The third outing for Daniel and again I loved this book and how the author writes with such clarity of the period that you can believe that you are there with the characters. If I have one small complaint with this book it seemed to be just a bit to long, with slightly too much emphasis on past situations that had been covered in the previous books. As this series cannot be read out of order, i do not think that this was needed in as much detail as it was in sections. But as I say this is only a small gripe on my part. Other than that this was a really good read and I look forward to more from this author.

I do love the Daniel Pursglove series but like many reviewers, I find that there is an awful lot going on, detracting from the main plot. The atmosphere created in this Jacobean world is excellent and it is very easy to get lost in the atmosphere and descriptions which is both a compliment and a criticism. Despite not knowing 100% what was going on, I really enjoyed the ending and it has set it up perfectly for the next in the series... if I've committed this far then I might as well carry on!

As always I liked the atmosphere of the book, Maitland is good at conjuring up the setting in such a vivid way that I feel I am there. Cold, dark, light, wind... we can feel it all. The main plot was interesting and riveting but this book had even more side plots than the others and a lot of things that I had to write off as "I don't get what's going on." And that ruined the overall enjoyment of the book for me.

This is the third book in KJ Maitland’s 17th century mystery series and continues Daniel Pursglove’s search for the mysterious Spero Pettingar. If you haven’t read the first two (The Drowned City and Traitor in the Ice) I strongly recommend that you do so before starting this book. Even though I’ve read both of them, the plot is so complex I found it difficult to keep track of what was happening at times, so I think coming straight to this book could be quite confusing.

The series is set in the aftermath of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a failed attempt by Catholic conspirators to blow up the Houses of Parliament and assassinate the King (James I of England and VI of Scotland). In the first book, Daniel Pursglove was released from Newgate Prison by the King’s advisor, FitzAlan, on the condition that he would hunt down and identify one of the escaped conspirators, a man known only as Spero Pettingar. As Rivers of Treason opens, Daniel has still not caught Spero but the mystery surrounding his whereabouts continues to deepen.

It’s now 1607 and the Great Frost that has held England in its grip during the winter is beginning to thaw. Without FitzAlan’s permission, Daniel has headed north to his childhood home in Yorkshire, not on the King’s business this time, but hoping to find answers about his own past. When an old woman is found murdered, however, Daniel finds himself under suspicion and is forced to flee across the country, pursued by a sinister man with a distinctive black and white beard. Has Daniel stumbled upon the trail of Spero Pettingar at last or has he become caught up in another, even bigger conspiracy?

I enjoyed this book, despite feeling that there was too much going on, a criticism I’ve had of the first two books in the series as well. I would have preferred a tighter focus on the central mystery, which often seems to get lost under the numerous subplots Maitland throws into the story. Having said that, some of the subplots were quite fascinating, such as one involving a London apothecary commissioned by the King to make an antidote to poison. After narrowly avoiding death in the Gunpowder Plot, it’s understandable that James has developed a paranoia about further attempts on his life! During Daniel’s time in Yorkshire, meanwhile, we learn a little bit more about our protagonist’s past and although I still don’t feel that we know him very well, it was good to have some questions answered.

I also love the atmosphere Maitland creates in this series, making it easy to feel immersed in the early 17th century, particularly where she describes the lives of the ordinary people Daniel meets on his travels but also in her descriptions of the Jacobean court. In this book, we follow the preparations for an elaborate masque (play or entertainment) written by the playwright Ben Jonson, with the set and costumes designed by the architect Inigo Jones. Jonson and Jones really did collaborate on many court masques, but this is the first time I’ve read about their work together, so I found that aspect of the story interesting.

Rivers of Treason finishes on something of a cliffhanger, leaving us wondering what Daniel is going to do next. I hope we won’t have to wait too long for the next book so that we can find out!